Jean II, Duke of Alencon

Jean II, Duke of Alencon (2 March 1409-8 September 1476) was a French nobleman and commander during the Hundred Years' War.

Biography
Jean was born in Chateau d'Essay, France in 1409, the son of Jean I, Duke of Alencon. He succeeded his father as Duke of Alencon after his father perished at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and he became a general during the Hundred Years' War. Alencon was imprisoned by the English from 1424 to 1429 after being captured at the Battle of Verneuil, and he was forced to sell his duchy to John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford to pay for his ransom. Alencon then fought alongside Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orleans and during her campaign in the Loire Valley, and he left to fight the English near his own domains in Normandy after the successful end of this campaign. He took part in the Praguerie revolt of 1439-1440, but he was forgiven by King Charles VII of France, his lifelong friend. Alencon participated in the 1449 reconquest of Normandy, regaining the Duchy of Alencon, but he was arrested by Jean de Dunois in 1456 for having had correspondence with the English since 1440. In 1461, King Louis XI of France had Alencon released, but Alencon broke the terms of release and died in prison in the Louvre in 1476.